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Celje welcome RB Salzburg to Stadion Z'dezele on Thursday evening for a UEFA Europa League league-phase fixture, with the Slovenian champions seeking their first points of the campaign.
The hosts have lost their opening two matches without scoring, while the Austrian side began with a win over Levski Sofia before suffering a 4-0 defeat against AC Milan, and will therefore be looking to respond in Slovenia, while the hosts need to find a way to turn their domestic performances into European points.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Celje vs. RB Salzburg key stats
- Celje have lost both of their Europa League league-phase matches this season without scoring.
- Salzburg have won nine of their last 11 competitive games with a clean sheet.
- Salzburg have won their last two away games in Europe.
- Celje have scored just one goal in their five games across all competitions.
- Celje have won just one of their last five competitive games (D2, L2).
Celje vs. RB Salzburg preview: Can the visitors take advantage of Celje's scoring struggles?
Celje vs RB Salzburg — Tale of the Tape
| Celje | vs | RB Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (Prva Liga) | Position | 2nd (Austrian Bundesliga) |
| 16 | Points | 21 |
| 12 | Goals For | 21 |
| 11 | Goals Against | 4 |
| 3 | Clean Sheets | 3 |
| 6th (H) | Home / Away Rank | 5th (A) |
Celje head into Thursday's encounter under pressure after a difficult start to their first Europa League league-phase campaign.
Their opening 2-0 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen was followed by a 3-0 loss to Omonia, leaving them without a goal or a point after two matches.
The result against Omonia was particularly disappointing because it came on home soil, and the Slovenian side now need a significant improvement in the final third if they are to trouble Salzburg.
Their domestic form has also been mixed, with a goalless draw against Maribor following a 1-0 victory over Aluminij.
Zoran Zeljkovic will be keen to see his team show greater composure in possession and make better use of their attacking opportunities, having struggled to find the net in recent weeks, a weakness that could prove costly against opponents with more experience of European competition.
Jost Pisek is listed with a cruciate ligament injury and is expected to remain unavailable until around mid-January 2027.
Salzburg, meanwhile, arrive looking to recover from their heavy defeat against AC Milan after making a positive start to their European campaign by beating Levski Sofia 1-0.
The Austrian side have, however, demonstrated a greater capacity to produce results in domestic competition, picking up a 3-0 victory over Altach last time out to remain unbeaten across domestic competitions this season (W8, D3).
Salzburg's challenge will be to restore their defensive organisation while making the most of Celje's lack of confidence in front of goal, as they look to win three straight European away games for the first time since December 2018.
Karim Konate is listed as doubtful because of illness, while Nikolas Veratschnig is expected to be sidelined with a ligament injury until around mid-December.
Enrique Aguilar is also reported to have a thigh injury, and Justin Omoregie is listed as out for the season with an ankle problem.
Celje vs. RB Salzburg form guide & betting tips
| Celje | vs | RB Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
LDWLD |
Form | WLDLW |
| 1 | Goals For | 7 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 6 |
LL |
Europa League | WL |
Whispers predicts: Celje 0-2 RB Salzburg
RB Salzburg are priced at around 1.77 (7/9) to win, making them favourites and rightly so considering that they have lost just once across all competitive games this season.
Both teams to score – No at 2.13 (119/100) is another option, given how Celje have struggled in front of goal in recent weeks.
A 2-0 RB Salzburg victory is the correct-score prediction, with the price around 10.00 (9/1).
> Under 3.5 goals at 1.53 (8/15) | Likelihood: High
> Sazburg to win at 1.77 (7/9) | Likelihood: Medium
> Both teams to score – No at 2.13 (119/10 | Likelihood: Medium
> Correct score: Celje 0-2 RB Salzburg at 10.00 (9/1) | Likelihood: Low